Eamon Sullivan eager to figure out Ian Thorpe’s in-pool performance – Swimming News
Australian freestyle champion and former world record holder, Eamon Sullivan is eager to figure out the in-pool performance of Australian comeback king, Ian Thorpe.
28-year-old Thorpe, who made a comeback to competitive swimming in February 2011, is working hard with his coach, Gennadi Touretski, at his training camp base in Switzerland.
On his comeback, Thorpe announced that he will focus the shorter freestyle events, 100m and 200m freestyle, as he aims to attain his 2012 London Olympic Games qualification through the relay events.
Thorpe’s comeback statement has sabotaged the hopes of Australian freestyle experts, who were already having a tough time with the new Olympic Qualification Standards set by Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA), and now they will have to face Thorpe
in their event.
26-year-old Sullivan, who is one of the biggest hurdles in Thorpe’s relay qualification, is concerned to know about his opponent’s succession.
“I really haven't heard too much about how he's going over there [training in Switzerland]; just bits and pieces. He's keeping a very low profile,” said Sullivan.
“We're going to have to wait and see how he's swimming but he's going to have to be swimming PBs [personal bests, come the Olympic trials]. It will be interesting and I think everyone is excited to see [what he achieves],” he added.
Sullivan, who suffered a heel fracture two months before, swam a 47.72 seconds to collect the gold medal of 4*100m freestyle relay at the 2011 Shanghai World Championships.
Nevertheless, the nine months ban imposed on Thorpe by FINA is going to expire in October and then he will be able to compete in any FINA scheduled event.
Sullivan will face Thorpe at the fifth leg of 2011 Swimming World Cup series in Singapore on November 4-5, which will be Thorpe’s first appearance after the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Sullivan also expressed that Thorpe’s selection in the Australian squad will prove fruitful for their relay team and they might be able to make a splash in swimming world as Australia did in 2000 Sydney Olympics.
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